Company and Commercial Legal Advice

It is always about relationships

Whether it is employees, customers, suppliers or even fellow directors or shareholders, there is no doubt that the key to a successful business is the successful management of relationships. We understand that it is also quite possibly the most challenging element in achieving and maintaining your success.

We fundamentally understand this aspect of business life. That is why we will not just be looking at the contracts to help you better understand what is in them (although that is important too), our team will advise on the particular relationship that you are grappling with to help you understand what is important – in our experience it often isn’t simply what the contract has to say! That means getting to know your business and your priorities, thus enabling us to give better, more focused, more effective advice. We’ve been around for a long time and have come to realise that by doing so and establishing a relationship as your trusted advisor, we can add value rather than simply being a cost to your business.

We have an experienced and knowledgeable team at Buss Murton, led by a partner with extensive business experience, gained not only from advising business clients but with extensive experience of working in leadership roles within business enterprises too.

We can assist with areas of importance to business owners and other stakeholders. Below is listed just some of the key areas upon which we can advise. If you have any questions regarding our work, then please do not hesitate to call one of our team. We are always interested in talking to business stakeholders. We have found it useful for clients in the past to set up a preliminary relationship building meeting before any actual legal work is even envisaged in order to review the legal arena within which a client business is based and to discuss their plans for the future. This helps both of us to consider how we might help and when it might be useful to start to get legal instructions under way. Importantly, you won’t be charged for this meeting.

BREXIT

While there is little that has changed for businesses in the immediate aftermath of the referendum, we have a team dedicated to keeping up to date with how the process is progressing. Some members of our team are used to working in international organisations working from outside the EU and dealing with the opportunities and challenges that will most certainly present themselves as Brexit comes closer.

We Can Help You With:

Acquisition or disposal of businesses or companies

Company Purchase of own Shares

Intellectual Property

Franchising

Corporate Finance and Securitisation

Limited Liability Partnerships

Insolvency/Reorganisations

Distribution or Agency arrangements

Data Protection

Share Option Schemes

TUPE issues

Personal Guarantees

Client Testimonial

“Buss Murton’s advice pre-sale, and during the disposal of part of our portfolio of companies, led to us being well prepared for the rigors that the transaction process would exert, enabling us to plan effectively for what was in store and not let the process be damaging to either the business we were selling or, more importantly to us, that we were retaining.”

Contact us

We recognise how important it is that you have confidence in your legal advisor. Therefore, if you would like to have an initial discussion before deciding how to proceed, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

The Company and Commercial Team

Alex Lee
Partner

Alex Lee

Partner

Solicitor

Company and Commercial

Employment

Office : Tunbridge Wells

Profile

Alex leads the Company/Commercial team at Buss Murton. He joined the firm in 2012 from his own boutique corporate firm that he started up in 2010, bringing with him 20 years’ experience in leadership positions as in-house corporate counsel for such companies as FremantleMedia Limited (the makers of the X Factor and Grand Designs) and as Head of Corporate Strategy and General Counsel for the Jamie Oliver group of companies. Educated in New Zealand and the UK, and having worked with global organisations, Alex has gained significant experience, and led and contributed to high profile international media acquisitions and business strategy.

As a result, Alex is not only able to advise on the legal aspects of an enterprise’s business, but is also able to bring a unique perspective having been involved in the operational aspects of those enterprises. In addition to these insights, Alex has also been at the heart of a number of change management projects, and led transformation and integration initiatives.

With this wealth of experience, Alex can advise on a broad spectrum of company and commercial law. These include corporate and business acquisition and disposals, debt financings, corporate finance, insolvency, restructuring, and corporate governance right through to employment (non-contentious and contentious), commercial contracts, agency arrangements, intellectual property exploitation and protection, IT, data protection, franchising and dispute resolution.

Alex brings to the firm the passion he also exhibits in his interest in sailing and classical guitar. Originally qualifying in New Zealand, he still supports the All Blacks (and everyone else playing Australia). He qualified as a solicitor in the UK in 1990 and obtained a Masters of Law from the London School of Economics in 1991. He regularly speaks on such subjects as the legal and business impacts of social media, data protection and cybersecurity.

Matthew Lewins
Trainee Solicitor

Matthew Lewins

Trainee Solicitor

Company and Commercial

Office : Tunbridge Wells

Profile

Matt completed his undergraduate degree in English Literature and Film at Bangor University, during which time he worked as a short-order chef at a local restaurant. After completing his PGCE in secondary education, he taught English and was Head of Careers at King’s School, Rochester.

Matt left teaching in 2014 in order to undertake his law conversion training. He completed his GDL at Oxford Brookes, achieving a Distinction and winning the GDL Prize and completed his LPC at the University of Law, Bristol where he also gained a Distinction.

Articles

Katherine Proctor
Solicitor

Katherine Proctor

Solicitor

Commercial Property

Company and Commercial

Office : Tunbridge Wells

Profile

Katherine joined the firm in 2015 as a Trainee Solicitor in the Property team after spending two and a half years as a Paralegal in a London firm. While working in London she also studied part-time for her LPC with the University of Law.

Katherine is now a qualified solicitor working in the Company Commercial and Commercial Property teams at Buss Murton. She has experience in corporate transactions such as business and share sales and corporate financing as well as commercial property work including leases (landlord and tenant), sale and purchases, overage and option agreements.

Alan Williams
Consultant Solicitor

Alan Williams

Consultant Solicitor

Company and Commercial

Office : Tunbridge Wells

Profile

Alan trained and spent the early years of his career with international firm Bird & Bird. Subsequently he worked as an in-house lawyer in industry, spent some years as managing director of a group of management training companies, and founded his own law firm. With that background, he has acquired a wide range of commercial experience and awareness, and is well placed to view matters from a client’s perspective.

He joined Buss Murton as senior partner in 2007, and advises on corporate and commercial matters including shareholder arrangements, corporate governance, venture capital transactions, company acquisitions, joint ventures and share options, and on partnership and commercial agreements generally. He holds the Corporate Finance qualification granted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, and is a co-author of Succession Solutions Manual, published in 2006 by Wolters Kluwer.

Alternative Contact:

Contact us

We recognise how important it is that you have confidence in your legal advisor. Therefore, if you would like to have an initial discussion before deciding how to proceed, please do not hesitate to get in touch.